Republican hostage takers forced job-killing, across-the-board budget cuts on March 1, 2013. These cuts, called sequestration, already are costing jobs and damaging our economy and cutting $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years will do further harm to the economy.

America is facing a jobs crisis and the best way to stabilize the debt over the long term is to fix the economy, not cut vital programs and services important to working families. The solution is simple: repeal sequestration. Congress created it and Congress can make it go away.

Allowing sequestration to take place is the latest tactic Republicans are using to hold America’s economy hostage. Now Republicans are threatening to shut down the government on March 27 and cause a government default after May 19—more manufactured crises to gain leverage in order to cut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits, and other vital programs important to working families. And they will continue to use these tactics unless we disarm the hostage takers and repeal—not replace—sequestration.